In my tiny corner of the Web, (i.e. this blog), I’ve mentioned that the best thing a business can do for its marketing photography and public relations photography is to hire a photographer with a journalism background.
I’ve also written that one of the best things a company should be doing to enhance its brand, increase public awareness and even do a little good for their community is to put editorial content on its corporate web site, (e.g. photojournalism, photo essays, documentaries).
The worst thing a company can do is to fill its web site with nothing but advertising and corporate-looking content. The worst thing a business can do is to flood social media channels with the company’s marketing materials and press releases.
Now, someone with a bigger corner on the Web explains this more clearly:
Marketing content rarely connects with an audience. Why? Because it’s really just marketing material that is thinly veiled as content, and it’s quickly becoming the kind of one-sided content that turns people off.
(…)
…why not start a journalism department (or start off in a more humble way by hiring a journalist part-time to write content that your organization will publish)?
(…)
The idea here is to start creating content that is both valuable and needed. The idea here is to see if a tactic like this could lead to an entire department of journalists that are publishing the most relevant and interesting stories about the industry you serve.
It’s about becoming the de facto recognized authority for your industry. It’s about adding so much value that your clients (and potential clients) need you in their lives because the insights and information that you’re providing are so valuable.
(…)
The only way this will work is if the brand truly does let the journalist be an actual journalist (instead of a corporate shill).
The first companies to do this will win. The latecomers will be just that.
